since february 3. he posted a manifesto on facebook where he claimed he was seeking rescreng for -- revenge for being fired from the lapd. president obama heads to north carolina today to begin pushing the plans he laid out in his state of the union address last night. >> he called on congress, leaders from both parties to compromise on the economic issues and for lawmakers to bring gun legislation to the floor for a vote. tara mergener has more. >> reporter: in his first state of the union address of the second term, the president focused on the middle class and millions of americans still looking for work. he called on congress to help them. >> the american people have worked too hard for too long rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another. >> reporter: the president emphasized his economic recovery program will not add to the deficit. he said it's not bigger government we need but smarter

government. the president also outlined his plan to bring 34,000 troops home from afghanistan by this time next year. that's half the u.s. force there. gun laws were also a theme of the night. the first lady and members of congress invited victims of gun violence to join them in the chamber and the president said congress owes them a gun bill. >> they deserve a vote. gabby giffords deserves a vote. the families of newtown deserve a vote. >> reporter: in the republican response, florida senator marco rubio cautioned against higher taxes. >> there's no realistic tax increase that could lower our deficit by almost $4 trillion. that's why i hope the president will abandon his obsession with raising taxes and instead work with us to achieve real growth if our economy. >> reporter: president obama will take his message on the road with campaign style appearances in three states. tara mergener for cbs news,

capitol hill. >> the president's stops will include rallies in north carolina, georgia and illinois. before attending the state of the union, shooting victims and their families were on capitol hill yesterday for a senate judiciary committee hearing on gun violence. illinois democrat richard durbin opened the hearing by saying it's time for congress to pass meaningful gun control legislation. he also said he believes requiring background checks for all gun purchases would be constitutional. the panel's top republican disagreed with that. texas senator ted cruz argued the focus of law enforcement should be on criminals who use unregistered illegal guns. curbing the rights of citizens who own guns will do nothing to stop violent crime. it looks like chuck hagel is one step closer to becoming the next secretary of defense. yesterday the senate armed services committee approved his nomination although they did it just barely along party lines. the former nebraska senator is facing fierce opposition from some people in his own party.

they challenged past statements. if he's confirmed, hagel will replace leon panetta as the defense secretary. our time is 4:32. prince george's county police need your help finding a missing woman and her 1-year- old daughter. this is 25-year-old stephanie hamrick and her little girl. they were last seen walking toward a bus stop in the 8500 block of greenbelt road last thursday around 5:30 in the evening. if you've seen them, you're asked to call prince george's county police. university of maryland student dayvon green is accused of shooting his roommating killing one of them before taking his own life. he started the fire inside to lure his roommates outside. he pulled out a gun and shot and killed one roommate. green then turned the gun on

himself. it is 4:33. here's a look at some of the other things making news right now. we're learning more about the health of pope benedict xvi. the vatican revealed the pope has a pacemaker. he had it before he became the pope in 2005, but on monday the pontiff said he's resigning because he doesn't have the strength of mind or body to fulfill his ministry. the vatican has not announced when the conclave to elect a new pope is going to get started but a new pope is expected to be in place by easter sunday gz today we hear from the mother of an alabama boy snatched off his school bus and held hostage in a bunker for a week. ethan gillman was finally rescued last month. the f.b.i. stormed the bunker, grabbed him and killed his captor. ethan's here says she has noticed changes in her son since he's returned. >> i know he's having a very hard time sleeping soundly. he slings his arms and tosses

and turns. he's cried out a few times. >> watch dr. phil today to hear more from ethan's mom. she describes what the ordeal was like for her. that interview is on wusa9 at 4:00. an asteroid the size of an olympic swimming pool is going to pass by the earth soon. it's known as 2012v814 has no chance of hitting us on february 14 but will come closer to earth than any other asteroid since scientists began monitoring them 15 years ago. the closest approach to earth will be at 2:25 friday afternoon. the best in show winner for the 137th westminster kennel club dog show is the pincher. >> there he is, little banana joe. he's been living in the united states for competition but now at the grand old age of 5 he'll be retiring and going to return to his owners in holland. for the first time this year a

reserve best in show winner was selected. we presume that's in case the champion isn't able to fulfill his duties. it went to an old english sheep dog. there were two dogs in the final running from georgetown. we'll talk about those coming up in our 6:00 show. we're in for a dry morning but a wet afternoon. howard is back in two minutes to let you know when you should expect the rain or something else. customer service for airline passengers in the united states is improving. >> a company started by a john morgan announces his plans to leave the entertainment business. >> wusa9 is back in two minutes with your weather first.

welcome back. 4:38. dry chute but keep the rain gear handy. rain develops in the early afternoon. looks like a wet ride home. there will be a touch of snow tonight. i'll be back in a few minutes to tell you how much a touch it really is. let's go to monika samtani with timesaver traffic. overnight there were periodic closures of the northbound side of i-95 near aquia harbor in quantico and dumfries with road work in place. everything has been cleared up there so you're good to go right at the line to here in springfield. look at that. it looks light for this morning coming up from route 644. back to you guys. >> thank you, monika. it is 4:39. time for the first your money segment of the morning. >> good morning. >> good morning to boat of you. not -- to both of you. not a bad perch for wall street. back to 14,000 following mixed reports. it's now within 1% of its all- time record. checking the numbers, happy to do so the dow rose 47 points in

trading. it stands at 14,018. the nasdaq was off by about 5 and a half points and the s&p 500 was up by almost 2 and a half. the government ran a budget surplus of $3 billion in january. this is the first monthly surplus since september of last year. the treasury department says the expiration of a temporary payroll tax cut at the end of last year helped fill the government coffers. the government is raising its forecast for gas prices. they predict pump prices will average $3.55 a gallon in 2013 and 11 cent jump from its earlier estimate. gas prices are currently averaging $3.61 a gallon nationwide. that's up 11% since mid- december. u.s. airlines less likely to lose your luggage last year than any other point in the last two decades. the government says there were a little more than three reports of lost or damaged bags

for every 1,000 passengers. they improved their on time performance in 2012. nearly 82% of all flights arrived nearly 15 minutes of their scheduled times. general electric is completely getting out of the television business. comcast is buying ge's 49% stake in the nbc universal joint venture. comcast says it's buying the rest of the media company now instead of waiting a few years as planned because interest rates are so low and the stock price is attractive. comcast is also buying nbc's headquarters at 30 rockefeller plaza in new york and raising its annual dividends by 20%. comcax took control of -- comcast took control of nbc universal in 2007. it's hard to lose your luggage when everyone is doing carry- ons nowadays. >> there are also fewer flights so the numbers have a chance to get better. there's a new research out that suggests a certain vitamin supplement could lower your

chances of having a child with autism. >> one log airport set as record for a third straight year. >> wusa9 is back in two minutes with those stories and of course your weather first, too.

welcome back. our time 4:44. dry today. howard said nbd, no big deal. >> dry this morning. it's going to be the afternoon you're going to have some problems, mainly with rain. if you can get out to the mountains, a great day to go skiing. mid week, you'll have fresh snow on the mountains and good lift tickets mid week. consider that. they're expecting several inches of snow. winter weather advisories in the mountains go in effect at noon but not around here. here's a look at your day plan other this wednesday morning. it's quiet out there. saw stars driving in but the

clouds are moving in now. we'll be into the low 40s by 9:00. some of you will still be in the upper 30s. heavier jackets certainly than yesterday. rain and mid-40s at noon. that rain is going to be generally south and southwest. it will move in i believe afternoon here in washington but a wet ride home with a 5:00 p.m. temperature of 45 degrees. if we see any snow in d.c. and points south, it won't be till tonight and it's not going to be very long. first batch of rain really passing us off to the south. you see it in the carolinas. what we're waiting for is this storm system, this area of low pressure, southern missouri, northwestern arkansas. as it moves east, it will throw more moisture our way. a sliver of snow flakes trying to fall in toward petersburg which is 28 right now and luray is 32. we're 36 with mid- to upper 20s to our north and 40 degrees in fredricksburg and 42 now at the tappahannock airport. with the clouds coming in, also slightly warmer temperatures as well. as we look at our current conditions, great visibility. we've got 36 degrees but it feels like 30 with still generally clear skies at reagan

national and a north, northeast wind at 7 miles an hour. it's going to be kind of a raw day. this is a big system. it brought snow yesterday to texas and oklahoma. strong thunderstorms also across parts of the south. you can see the rain stretched out from south texas all the way to the carolina coast. with that southern piece of the jet stream, this upper storm coming out of oklahoma with some snow with it. again, that is what we're watching. i put snow but the snow is generally going to be in the mountains today and a little bit north and west of us tonight. i think trace to an inch. that's it. no big deal around here. let's look at the futurecast because the clouds move in. stopping it at noon. notice some showers off to our south and west and a little bit of snow in the mountains there. that will be the case for the afternoon, too. by 2:00, 3:00, the light rain has moved in but the drive home, boy, it just looks like a slow, wet commute here. out toward i-81 and west, this is where it will be snowing this afternoon and even tonight. by 9:00 we don't make much progress with the snow.

barely to frederick and leesburg. as we head toward midnight, d.c. north, northeast seeing a little bit of snow. south of town a little bit of rain and southwest already clearing out so we'll kick this out of here with not doing much damage at all. places in philly, long island, they have winter weather advisories. they could see 1 to 3 inches of snow. again, snow lovers, not this time. afternoon rain action mix tonight, 46. we drop to 35 in town tonight. even if it does turn over, it's not growing to stick in d.c. it's north and west we get closer to 30. tomorrow pleasant, 51. friday nice 54. then colder air over the weekend. looks like if a storm forms, it will be too far east to give us problems. i know some people are happy about that. some are not. back in the low 40s for president's day. more rain by tuesday. let's grow to monika samtani. she's in with your latest timesaver traffic. i'm happy to say mid week things are looking pretty good. there are no big issues to

report. all overnight construction has been cleared up. no big accidents right now. so really generally speaking, we're good to go. 270, for example, coming in from frederick down to the point where the lanes divide, i'm happy to say no problems to report through germantown and rockville. let's take a live look outside and show what you it looks like at montrose road and again it's nice and quiet down to the point where the lanes divide. back to the maps. this time we're heading to the other side. bw parkway, route 50 through cheverly look great. no issues in the northeast corridor and no problems on the anacostia river crossings as well. a live look at northbound 95 here in springfield, things are actually pretty light heading on to 395 and the 14th street bridge. listen, more people are using baltimore-washington international airport. maryland governor martin o'malley says the airport set a record for passenger traffic for a third straight year. more than 22.6 million passengers use bwi in 2012. that's 1.3% boost from 2011.

and metro's annual report card is out. they say improvements have been made in ten out of 12 areas. that includes on-time performance, reliability for buses and trains and also customer safety. the system still has problems though with crime and customer complaint rates. so metro says they're working on that with customer service training and better signage. when you ride metro, can you rely on the trains to be on time and do you feel safe in the system? let me know what you think on my facebook page, facebook.com/monikasamtani. you can see the report. by the way, i put this out on twitter last night and got a response from brian. he says, i find their self- promotion laughable when they still can't handle rush hour. let me know what you think. >> monika, thank you. turning our attention to health news, women who take large doses of calcium could be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

researchers in sweden followed more than 61,000 women for almost 20 years. they found taking calcium on top of a high calcium diet was associated with double the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. in the united states more than 60% of middle aged and older women take calcium supplements to prevent bone fractures. lung cancer death rates among women rising around the world. in a few years lung cancer will overtake breast cancer as a main cause of cancer death among european women. researchers in italy and switzerland say the numbers may reflect the increased number of women who started smoking in the 1960's and '70s. scientists at washington university school of medicine say they found a genetic mutation which could be connected to some kinds of autism. they point to an error in the gene celf6 which leads to disturbances in the levels of the chemical say toni which relays messages to the brain.

researchers saying not having enough of it can lead to autistic behaviors, such as difficulty communicating and resistance to change. about 30% of patients with autism have abnormal blood levels of serotonin. if you're pregnant or you know someone who is, you know doctors say take folic which prevents some birth defects from developing. >> it may also have another benefit. lowering a baby's chances of developing autism. >> reporter: ven indonesia smith is 11 weeks pregnant with her second child. >> i feel great, a lot of energy. it's been a wonderful experience. >> reporter: she takes a prenatal multivitamin with folic acid. a study looked at 85,000 children in norway. researchers found mothers who took folic acid supplements before they conceived and during the first two months of their pregnancy lowered their chances of having a child with autism 39%. >> it will lead to new ideas

and potentially new ways to prevent autistic disorders. >> reporter: folic acid is already known to reduce the risk of brain and spine birth defects, like spina bifida. >> it's not in any way dangerous to the patient. it is not costly. it's part of the standard of care regardless. we would definitely recommend it. >> reporter: doctors recommend that women who are pregnant or becoming -- or planning to become pregnant take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day. it's found in foods, including leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and whole grains but most women don't get enough through food alone. danetia has been taking supplements since trying to get pregnant with her first child. she's also trying to get more sleep and cut down on stress to make sure she has a healthy baby. cbs news, new york. >> that study did not find a link between folic acid and

asperger syndrome. as perrer's is on the autism spectrum and affects older children. children in the study were between 3 and 10 years old. a potentially deadly disease is lurking at a local university. coming up at 5:03, we're going to tell you what school officials are doing to try to prevent this from spreading. it's 4:53. time for the question of the morning. >> here it is. according to careerbuilder.com, 50% of americans admit calling into work sick because of this. is it -- 15% of americans admit to calling out sick from work because of this. is it a, a perfect day, b, a stubbed toe, or c, a date. >> on a sunny day. log on to the wusa9 facebook fan page and leave your response. we'll reveal the answer during the 6:00 hour.

hello, everybody. howard is here with you. just about 4:56. a dry commute this morning. we are looking at some rain developing by midday from southwest to northeast. just a touch of snow tonight with your high temperatures in the mid-40s. we'll have more on the rest of the week's forecast coming up at wusa 9news at 5:00. on the northbound side of 395 in landmark, all lanes are open. no worries as you head to the 14th street bridge. same story on 66 inbound to the roosevelt bridge and 295 to the 11th. back to you guys. >> thanks, monika. if your company doesn't have a website, google wants to get you one. they held a get your business on-line seminar in d.c. yesterday. business owners got a free website and some training on how to do it. >> we're also getting them on the map. when you look for their kind of

business, then you get a little -- a map and a pin that shows them where that business is and what their phone number is. >> that doesn't hurt, right? that manual right there says -- man right there says 58% of all small businesses don't have a website. the murder-suicide of university of -- at the university of maryland may have you concerned if you have a child in college or one headed there. >> so how would you know if your child was in a really bad roommate situation? peggy fox has some answers from george mason university. >> reporter: for many students heading off to college for the first time, it's a worry wondering who their roommate will be. but these two freshman students at mason have hit it off as dorm roommates. >> she was having roommate problems and she knew my room was available. >> reporter: lauren didn't have a roommate at first and rachel needed to get out of a bad situation with hers. >> we sort of started to butt heads. >> reporter: rachel met with

her resident advisor who helped her make the change. getting help is exactly what a student should do if they're bothered by another student or roommate. even if they move off campus f they have concerns about their roommates, they can still seek help from the college's counseling and psychological services. the director at mason's psychological services. >> most campuses have some central office where you can go if you're concerned about a student. >> reporter: one counselor says college students should not ignore telltale signs of mental distress such as isolation and aggressive behavior. >> if you notice your roommate is not sleeping for days on end, you know, that could really be a telltale sign of somebody that needs help. >> reporter: and he says it's important for parents of college age students to meet roommates and ask questions. in fairfax, peggy fox, wusa9. >> the signs can also be a warning sign for suicide.

each year about 1100 college students across the country take their own lives. george mason has a special tram called mason cares which trains gatekeepers to recognize some of those warning signs. it also couches them how to respond to students who are in -- coaches them how to respond to students who are in crisis. good morning. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm mike hydeck. we're glad you're here. it is wednesday. >> it does feel like we're getting over a hump. >> climbing. >> so far so good traffic wise? >> so far so good. >> so far so good in weather. >> going to be a fine mother, a dry morning. when i say fine, it's going to be cloudy. rain moves in for the afternoon. there will be some snow in the mountains of western maryland and west virginia where we have winter weather advisories starting at noon but around here if you're hoping for snow, you better hope really hard because it doesn't look like we'll see much snow at all. just a sliver tonight could be expected. pretty quiet out there right now. we've got high clouds moving in now. we've got temperat